Vibrational inhomogeneity in amorphous solids and its geometric features

Abstract

The dynamical response of amorphous solids is expected to be inhomogeneous due to the absence of translational symmetry, unlike in crystals. In this work, we use Green's function method combined with the Hessian matrix from simulation data to characterize the vibrational inhomogeneity of a two-dimensional amorphous solid. We define an order parameter for vibrational inhomogeneity, the frequency-resolved participation ratio, which equals a constant value of one over all frequencies for a crystal, while being around \(\sim 0.7\) for almost the entire frequency range in an amorphous solid, thus indicating a similar level of vibrational inhomogeneity across most of the frequency range. The spatial distribution of vibrational inhomogeneity in the amorphous solid is presented in three ways: by frequency, at the particle level, and via percolation analysis, all showing that the vibrational inhomogeneity is fragmented and occurs at the particle scale. The results suggest that the Green's function method is a convenient tool for probing vibrational inhomogeneity, and provide an alternative perspective on the role of vibrational inhomogeneity in amorphous solids.